CHICAGO  WINTER  BIRDS 


COLIN  C  SANBORN 

ision  nf  Birds 


FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 
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Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 
Department  of  Zoology 

Chicago,  1982 


Leaflet  Number  2 

Chicago  Winter  Birds 

In  the  chill  days  of  fall,  when  the  trees  begin  to 
drop  their  leaves,  most  of  the  birds  that  have  made 
this  region  their  summer  home,  depart  for  a  warmer 
climate  where  food  is  more  plentiful.  Some,  how- 
ever, find  sufficient  food  here  in  winter,  so  remain  as 
residents  throughout  the  year.  Others,  used  to  a  more 
rigorous  climate,  are  easily  able  to  withstand  our  win- 
ters, and  come  down  from  the  north  to  remain  until 
spring.  Still  another  group  is  found  here  only  in  severe 
winters  when  weather  conditions  farther  north  inter- 
fere with  the  food  supply  or  when  the  supply  itself 
is  limited,  and  they  are  driven  into  this  region  in  their 
search  for  subsistence. 

Weather  conditions  and  the  character  of  the  vege- 
tation in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  are  favorable  for  a 
variety  of  birds  to  spend  the  winter.  The  Lake,  rarely 
freezing,  provides  open  water  for  a  number  of  species 
of  ducks,  which  subsist  mainly  on  fish  at  this  time  of 
year,  and  also  for  the  gulls,  which  are  more  scavengers 
than  fish  eaters.  In  the  city  parks  are  many  trees  and 
shrubs  whose  fruit  supplies  certain  species  with  food. 
In  the  suburbs,  many  people  maintain  feeding  shelves, 
supplied  with  suet,  nut  meats,  and  other  attractive 
food  for  birds.  As  the  snow  is  seldom  deep  enough 
to  cover  all  the  dried  stalks  of  golden  rod,  ragweed  and 
other  seed-bearing  plants,  which  are  plentiful  along 
ditches  and  field  borders,  the  different  sparrows  are 
well  provided  for.     Mice,  which  are  preyed  upon  by 

[13] 


2  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

the  hawks  and  owls,  are  always  abundant  in  the  fields 
and  woods.  In  the  Dune  region  of  northern  Indiana, 
where  deep  hollows  afford  the  birds  protection  from 
the  wind  and  snow,  there  is  a  great  supply  of  poison 
sumach,  flowering  dogwood,  bittersweet  and  other  like 
fruits,  as  well  as  many  conifers  attractive  to  Crossbills 
and  Pine  Grosbeaks. 

With  such  favorable  conditions,  then,  it  is  not  to 
be  wondered  that  there  are  about  sixty  species  of  birds 
that  may  be  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  during 
the  winter.  Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  all 
sixty  can  be  found  every  day  or  even  every  winter. 
Birds  are  not  so  abundant  in  winter  as  at  other  sea- 
sons, and  each  species  stays  in  the  locality  best  suited 
to  its  requirements,  so  they  are  often  widely  separated. 
Certain  species  are  of  a  restless  nature,  and  while 
found  in  one  place  today,  may  be  miles  away  by  tomor- 
row. Moreover,  the  severity  of  the  winter,  affecting 
their  movements,  keeps  certain  species  here  during 
mild  years  and  drives  others  down  from  the  north 
during  cold  years. 

This  paper  will  take  up  the  different  types  of 
country  about  Chicago,  and  briefly  discuss  the  species 
likely  to  be  found  in  them.  Lake  Michigan  and  the 
ducks  found  there  will  first  be  considered.  The  best 
time  to  observe  ducks  is  when  a  west  wind  has  blown 
the  loose  ice  out,  leaving  a  waterway  between  it  and 
the  solid  ice  masses  which  extend  out  from  the  shore. 
In  this  open  water,  the  ducks  feed  and  often  come  close 
to  the  ice  for  protection  from  the  wind,  so  that  a  person 
hidden  in  a  hollow  near  the  edge  of  the  water  has  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  make  close  observations. 
There  are  four  ducks  that  are  common  in  winter,  the 
American  Merganser,  Red-breasted  Merganser,  Old 
Squaw  and  Golden-eye.  They  arrive  in  October  and 
November  and  leave  the  last  of  March  or  early  in 

[14] 


Chicago  Winter  Birds  3 

April.  The  Red-breasted  Merganser  sometimes  stays 
until  late  in  May.  Another  species,  the  Barrow's 
Golden-eye,  closely  resembles  our  common  Golden-eye, 
but  is  very  rarely  found  here.  Only  the  adult  males 
can  be  distinguished  from  the  common  species,  unless 
in  the  hand,  so  many  may  pass  unnoticed.  The  Harle- 
quin Duck  has  been  reported  during  the  last  few  years, 
but  is  of  very  rare  occurrence.  Three  scoters,  the  Ame- 
rican, White-winged,  and  Surf  Scoter,  have  been  found 
at  times,  but  as  they  generally  stay  some  distance  out 
in  the  lake  they  are  seldom  reported.  The  only  geese 
still  common  here  are  the  Canada  Geese,  and  most  of 
these  are  seen  on  the  wing  as  they  fly  between  the 
lake  and  the  cornfields,  where  they  go  to  feed  in  the 
early  morning  and  late  evening.  They  arrive  about 
the  middle  of  October  and  some  flocks  stay  all  winter, 
leaving  in  April.  The  Herring  Gull  and  the  Ring- 
billed  Gull  are  always  plentiful  along  the  lake  and  in 
the  rivers.  The  former  is  the  larger  bird,  but  it  is 
hard  to  distinguish  the  different  species  except  when 
seen  together.  They  are  great  scavengers,  and  where 
any  refuse  is  being  dumped,  large  flocks  will  gather. 
The  smallest  of  our  gulls,  the  Bonaparte's,  appears  in 
August  and  stays  until  November,  some  occasionally 
remaining  all  winter. 

Along  the  beach  in  the  early  part  of  the  winter, 
until  the  last  of  December,  Snow  Buntings  are  fairly 
common.  They  arrive  the  last  of  October  and  may 
stay  until  the  first  of  March,  although  rarely  found 
after  December.  Prairie  Horned  Larks  are  sometimes 
found  with  them.  On  the  more  open  prairies  or  in 
sparsely  settled  areas,  a  few  Prairie  Chickens  are  mak- 
ing a  last  stand.  They  were  formerly  common  in  this 
region,  but  the  cultivation  of  the  fields  and  shooting 
have  driven  them  out.  A  few  years  ago,  a  farmer 
found  two  nests  while  plowing  and  thoughtfully  left 

[15] 


4  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

a  large  patch  of  grass  about  each  one,  with  the  result 
that  all  the  eggs  hatched  safely.  If  everyone  would 
be  so  considerate,  there  might  be  more  chickens.  Two 
game  birds  that  have  been  introduced  with  marked 
success  are  the  Pheasant  and  Hungarian  Partridge. 
They  are  found  in  open  and  brushy  fields,  and  are 
said  to  be  increasing  very  encouragingly. 

As  the  hawks  and  owls  prey  upon  mice  in  winter, 
it  is  about  the  more  open  country  that  they  are  most 
common,  such  as  fields  and  marshes.  The  Marsh  Hawk, 
a  common  resident,  often  winters  here,  and  when  on 
the  wing  is  easily  identified  by  the  conspicuous  white 
patch  on  the  rump.  The  American  Rough-legged 
Hawk  appears  in  October  and  November  and  stays 
about  in  small  numbers  until  early  March.  It  is  a 
heavy,  slow-flying  hawk,  and  often  hunts  in  the  early 
evening  after  the  sun  has  set.  During  particularly 
hard  winters,  large  numbers  of  Goshawks  are  apt  to 
appear  from  the  north.  They  destroy  much  game 
and  poultry  and  in  consequence  many  are  shot.  One 
Chicago  taxidermist  received  fifteen  for  mounting  dur- 
ing a  recent  visit  of  these  birds.  Snowy  Owls  also 
come  with  the  Goshawks,  but  are  less  frequent.  It  is 
hard  to  say  in  what  particular  locality  they  are  most 
likely  to  be  found.  The  last  one  seen  in  this  region 
was  found  in  Grant  Park  near  the  Museum,  by  H.  L. 
Stoddard,  in  November,  1919.  The  most  common  owl 
is  the  Short-eared,  especially  during  its  migration  in 
late  October  and  early  November.  This  bird  tries  to 
escape  notice  by  sitting  quietly  in  the  grass  or  cat-tails, 
and  only  flies  when  nearly  stepped  on. 

A  very  beneficial  little  bird,  catching  many  mice 
and  also  English  Sparrows,  is  the  Screech  Owl.  It  is 
seldom  seen,  however,  for  during  the  day  it  sleeps  in 
some  hollow  tree  or  old  woodpecker's  nest,  only  coming 
out  to  hunt  after  the  sun  has  set.    It  even  comes  into 

[16] 


Chicago  Winter  Birds  5 

the  city,  where  its  presence  is  seldom  suspected  unless 
its  quavering  call  is  heard.  The  Sparrow  Hawk,  a 
common  summer  resident,  stays  about  in  small  num- 
bers during  mild  winters.  During  1921  and  1922, 
especially,  many  were  reported.  Mice  and  small  birds 
are  sometimes  found  impaled  on  the  thorns  of  the  haw, 
wild  crab  and  other  trees.  This  is  the  work  of  the 
Northern  Shrike  or  Butcherbird,  as  it  is  popularly 
called,  which  appears  in  small  numbers  in  October  and 
stays  about  until  March. 

In  mild  years,  a  few  Meadowlarks  usually  remain, 
staying  in  one  locality  all  winter,  about  certain  favor- 
ite fields.  The  Prairie  Horned  Lark  is  a  common  resi- 
dent, frequenting  open  fields  and  prairies,  as  its  name 
suggests.  It  is  always  very  plentiful  on  golf  courses. 
It  nests  very  early,  sometimes  in  March  when  snow  is 
still  on  the  ground.  In  the  brushy  fields,  open  woods 
and  along  the  roads,  the  Tree  Sparrow  is  always  pres- 
ent. It  arrives  about  the  middle  of  October  and  leaves 
about  the  first  of  May.  The  Slate-colored  Junco,  often 
found  with  it,  arrives  in  September  and  spends  the 
winter  in  small  numbers,  leaving  in  April.  As  the 
food  of  these  two  sparrows  consists  chiefly  of  noxious 
weed  seeds,  they  are  very  beneficial  to  agriculture. 
Three  other  finches  with  similar  local  preferences  are 
the  Goldfinch,  Redpoll  and  Pine  Siskin,  the  latter  pre- 
ferring the  pine  woods.  The  Goldfinch  is  a  common 
resident  and  the  Redpoll  and  Pine  Siskin  come  down 
from  the  north  in  October  and  stay  until  April,  the 
Siskins  staying,  sometimes,  until  May.  The  Redpoll 
is  more  common  and  is  here  every  year,  while  the 
Siskin  is  rare  in  some  years.  The  Holboell's  and  Hoary 
Redpolls  have  been  taken  here,  but  are  very  rare.  Two 
other  spaiTows,  occasionally  found  in  winter,  are  the 
Song  Sparrow,  a  summer  resident,  and  the  Fox  Spar- 
row, a  common  migrant.    The  Song  Sparrow  has  been 

[17] 


6  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

noted  in  ditches  and  in  cat-tails  in  a  marsh  in  January 
and  February.  In  mild  winters,  Fox  Sparrows  stay 
about  brushy  woods  and  fields.  Mr.  W.  I.  Lyon  of 
Waukegan  had  one  about  his  feeding  station  from 
November  to  late  March,  the  winter  of  1921-22. 

In  woods  and  along  their  borders  and  in  orchards, 
the  Hairy  and  Downy  Woodpeckers  feed  on  the  larvae 
of  destructive  insects  and  wood-boring  beetles,  thus 
greatly  helping  the  farmer  in  keeping  these  pests 
under  control.  Another  resident,  the  Chickadee,  more 
common  in  winter,  is  often  found  with  the  Downy. 
It  is  a  bright,  active  little  bird,  very  tame  and  in- 
quisitive, often  coming  within  a  few  feet  of  a  person. 
The  Hudsonian  Chickadee,  from  the  north,  is  a  very 
rare  winter  visitant,  and  there  are  but  few  records  of 
its  capture  here,  the  last  being  in  1906.  The  Brown 
Creeper,  a  migrant  arriving  late  in  September,  fre- 
quently remains  all  winter,  leaving  the  first  part  of 
May.  It  works  its  way  to  the  top  of  one  tree  and  then 
flying  to  the  bottom  of  another,  repeats  the  perform- 
ance. The  White-breasted  Nuthatch  is  a  fairly  com- 
mon winter  resident  and  a  rare  breeder  in  this  area, 
and  the  Red-breasted  is,  in  some  years,  a  common  mi- 
grant from  September  to  November,  when  a  few  will 
winter.  The  latter  bird  is  partial  to  pine  trees  and 
sometimes  the  pines  at  Beach,  Illinois,  are  fairly  alive 
with  them  during  a  heavy  migration.  Later,  they 
may  be  seen  there  in  December  and  January. 

As  mentioned  before,  the  Dune  region  in  northern 
Indiana  is  especially  attractive  to  winter  birds,  and 
the  following,  while  also  found  in  other  sections,  are 
most  common  in  the  Dunes.  Two  game  birds  are  hold- 
ing their  own  fairly  well,  the  Bob-white  and  Ruffed 
Grouse.  There  are  four  or  five  coveys  of  Bob-white 
about  the  Dunes  which,  with  protection,  ought  to  in- 
crease.   A  few  coveys  also  may  be  found  southwest  of 

[18] 


Chicago  Winter  Birds  7 

the  city.  The  Ruffed  Grouse  is  fairly  plentiful  in  the 
Dunes.  It  breeds  there  and  appears  to  be  slowly  in- 
creasing. Since  the  heavy  timber  has  been  cut  and 
the  country  become  more  settled,  the  Great  Horned 
Owl  has  almost  disappeared,  but  a  few,  perhaps  a 
dozen  pairs,  still  linger  in  this  region.  They  breed 
very  early,  in  late  February  or  early  March.  Some 
may  still  be  found  in  the  heavy  timber  along  the  Des 
Plaines  River.  The  Long-eared  Owl  also  appears  in 
small  numbers  in  the  Dunes  and  a  few  breed  there. 
It  is  generally  found  in  pine  trees.  The  smallest  owl 
found  here,  the  Saw-whet,  was  formerly  not  an  un- 
common resident,  but  appears  now  mostly  as  a  winter 
visitant,  at  times  fairly  common  in  the  Dunes.  In 
years  when  the  acorn  crop  is  especially  large,  the 
Red-headed  Woodpeckers  remain  through  the  winter. 
They  are  very  plentiful  in  the  Dunes  and  have  been 
found  storing  acorns  in  cracks  in  trees  and  under  the 
bark.  The  Northern  Flicker,  a  common  summer  resi- 
dent, winters  in  the  Dunes  in  small  numbers  nearly 
every  year.  Prior  to  the  fall  of  1920,  there  were  but 
four  records  of  the  Arctic  Three-toed  Woodpecker  for 
the  Chicago  area.  During  that  fall,  however,  there 
was  an  invasion  of  these  birds  from  the  north,  and 
some  sixteen  were  reported,  including  a  number  from 
the  Dune  region  where  they  were  found  well  into 
December.  In  the  pines  in  deep  hollows  in  the  Dunes, 
Golden-crowned  Kinglets  generally  may  be  found. 
Kinglets  are  common  migrants,  arriving  the  last  of 
September,  and  a  few  spend  the  winter,  leaving  in 
April.  They  are  usually  found  in  thick  pines  in  win- 
ter. A  southern  bird  that  is  gradually  extending  its 
range  northward  is  the  Tufted  Titmouse.  It  is  now 
fairly  common  south  and  west  of  the  city,  but  few 
have  been  seen  north.  It  probably  breeds  in  the 
Dune  region.    The  Cardinal  is  another  southern  bird 

[19] 


8  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

that  has  become  fairly  common  in  the  past  ten  years, 
until  now  nearly  every  town  about  Chicago  has  at 
least  a  few  pairs.  They  are  gradually  increasing,  and, 
as  they  are  not  only  beautiful  birds,  but  also  wonder- 
ful singers,  are  more  than  welcome. 

There  are  three  irregular  winter  visitants  which 
feed  on  the  seeds  of  pine  cones  and,  therefore,  are  most 
apt  to  be  found  in  regions  where  conifers  are  plentiful. 
The  first  of  these,  the  Pine  Grosbeak,  appears  about 
every  four  or  five  years.  At  times  it  is  very  shy, 
difficult  of  approach  and  easily  frightened,  and  again 
may  be  very  tame  and  fearless.  Besides  pine  seeds, 
it  feeds  on  the  fruits  of  various  shrubs.  The  Ameri- 
can and  White-winged  Crossbills  occur  a  little  more 
often  than  the  Grosbeaks,  the  American  being  the  more 
common  of  the  two.  When  in  flocks,  they  are  very 
wild  and  hard  to  approach,  but  when  only  two  or 
three  are  together,  they  can  almost  be  caught  in  the 
hand.  When  feeding,  which  they  do  both  upright  or 
hanging  head  downward,  they  are  quiet  and  difficult  to 
see  in  the  pines.  The  Newfoundland  Crossbill,  a  sub- 
species of  the  American,  has  been  taken  here  only 
once.  The  Crossbills  are  very  erratic  and  many  may 
be  seen  in  a  certain  spot  one  day,  and  on  the  next,  all 
will  have  gone.  While  primarily  winterbirds,  they 
have  been  found  here  in  June  and  August. 

Another  species,  occurring  here  intermittently,  is 
the  Bohemian  Wax  wing,  which  appears  in  large  num- 
bers during  some  years,  generally  about  the  last  of 
November.  On  the  30th  of  this  month,  in  1919,  a  large 
flight  of  these  birds  was  observed  at  Beach,  Illinois. 
Flocks  of  fifty  to  a  hundred  passed  overhead  every  five 
or  ten  minutes,  from  seven  in  the  morning  until  noon, 
a  few  stopping  to  feed  on  the  juniper  berries.  About 
fifteen  hundred  passed  at  that  time  and  spread  out 
over  Chicago.    Some  twenty-five  stayed  about  a  moun- 

[20] 


Chicago  Winter  Birds  9 

tain-ash  tree  in  Highland  Park  for  a  week,  until  they 
had  eaten  all  the  fruit.  Many  appeared  in  Jackson 
Park  and  they  were  found  again  in  February  in  the 
Dunes.  The  Evening  Grosbeak,  supposedly  an  irregu- 
lar winter  visitant,  has  been  found  in  the  Dunes  every 
winter  for  the  past  ten  years  by  H.  L.  Stoddard.  A 
few  are  seen  elsewhere  at  other  times,  but  not  so 
commonly  as  in  the  Dunes.  A  common  migrant,  the 
Purple  Finch,  may  be  seen  about  in  winter.  It  is  an 
erratic  bird,  and  no  definite  place  could  be  named 
where  it  might  be  found  regularly.  Bronzed  Grackles 
and  Robins  often  pass  the  winter  here,  the  former  gen- 
erally in  the  vicinity  of  some  pine  grove,  and  the 
latter  in  any  protected  spot  where  food  can  be 
secured.  The  "first  Robins"  are  probably  birds  that 
have  wintered  here.  Two  of  our  most  common  winter 
birds  frequent  the  entire  area,  the  Blue  Jay  and  Crow, 
although  the  Jay  comes  about  houses  more  than  the 
wary  Crow. 

To  those  interested  in  winter  birds,  a  feeding  shelf 
is  a  great  help,  as  it  brings  some  of  the  birds  close 
to  hand  and  gives  a  better  opportunity  for  study.  It 
may  often  save  the  lives  of  many  birds  when  storms 
have  covered  the  ground  with  deep  snow  or  coated  the 
trees  with  ice.  Woodpeckers,  sparrows,  nuthatches, 
cardinals,  jays,  chickadees,  titmice  and  occasionally 
others  will  patronize  it.  A  feeding  shelf  is  not  only 
a  pleasure  to  the  one  keeping  it,  but  it  is  a  great  benefit 
to  the  birds,  which  certainly  deserve  some  reward  for 
their  assistance  in  keeping  in  check  the  many  insect 
pests  which  are  so  destructive  to  trees  and  shrubs. 
The  Government  has  published  a  bulletin  on  the  sub- 
ject (Farmers'  Bulletin,  No.  912),  which  may  be 
secured  upon  application  to  the  Secretary  of  Agricul- 
ture. 

Colin  C.  Sanborn, 
Assistant,  Division  of  Birds. 
[21] 


10 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


CLASSIFIED  LIST  OF  CHICAGO  WINTER  BIRDS 
RESIDENTS 

Northern  Flicker 
(Colapte8  a.  lutcus) 

Prairie  Horned  Lark 
(Otocoris  a.  pralicola) 


Herring  Gnll 

(Larus  argentatus) 


Ring-billed  Gull 

(Lfirus  delawarcnsis) 

Bob-white 

(Colinus  v.  virginianus) 

Ruffed  Grouse 

(Bonasa  u.  umbcllus) 

Prairie  Chicken 

( Tympanuchus  americanus ) 

Marsh  Hawk 

(Circus  hudsonius) 

Sparrow  Hawk 

(Ccrchneis  s.  sparvcria) 

Long-eared  Owl 
(Asio  wilsoniamis) 

Screech  Owl 

(Otu8  a.  naevius) 

Great-horned  Owl 

(Bubo  v.  virginianus) 

Hairy  Woodpecker 

(Dryobates  v.  villosus) 

Downy  Woodpecker 

(Dryobates  p.  mcdianm) 

Red-headed  Woodpecker 

(Melflnerpcs  crythroccphalus) 


Blue  Jay 

(Cyanocitta  c.  cristata) 

Crow 

(Corvus  b.  brachyrhynchos) 

Meadowlark 

(Sturnella  m.  magna) 

Bronzed  Grackle 

(Quiscalus  q.  aniens) 

Goldfinch 

(Astragalinus  t.  trtetis) 

Song  Sparrow 

(Melospiza  m.  mclodia) 

Cardinal 

(Cfirdinalis  c.  cardinalis) 

White-breasted  Nuthatch 
(Sitta  c.  carolinensi8) 

Tufted  Titmouse 

(Bacolophus  bicolor) 

Chickadee 

(Pcnthcstes  a.  atricapilhix) 

Robin 
(PJfincsticus  m.  migratoriux) 


COMMON  WINTIi 
American  Merganser 
(Mergus  americanus) 

Red-breasted  Merganser 
(Mergus  serrator) 

Golden-eye 
(Olaucionetta  c.  americana) 

Old-squaw 
(Clangula  hyemalis) 

Canada  Goose 

(Branta  c.  canadensis) 

Rough-legged  Hawk 

(Archibuteo  lagopus  sancti- 
johannis) 


R  VISITANTS 

Short-eared  Owl 
(Asio  flammcus) 

Saw-whet  Owl 
(Cryptoglauv  a.  acadica) 

Redpoll 

(Acpnthis  L  linaria) 

Pine  Siskin 
(Spinus  pinus) 

Snow  Bunting 

(Plectroplienax  n.  nivalis) 

Tree  Sparrow 

(Spisella  m.  moniicola) 


[22] 


Chicago  Winter  Birds  11 

Slate-colored  Junco  Northern  Shrike 

(Junco  h.  hyemalis)  (Laniua  borealta) 

IRREGULAR  WINTER   VISITANTS 

Scoter  Evening  Grosbeak 

(Oidcmia  amcricana)  (He»periphonav.vespcrtina) 

White-winged  Scoter  Pine  Grosbeak 

(Oidcmia  dcglandi)  (Pinlcola  e.  Icucura) 

Surf  Scoter  Crossbill 

(Oidemia  perapicillflta)  (Loxia  c.  minor) 

Goshawk  White-winged  Crossbill 

(Aatur  a.  atricapillua)  (Loxia  leucoptcra) 

Snowy  Owl  Bohemian  Waxwlng 

(Xyctca  nyctea)  (Bombtirilla  garrula) 

RARE  WINTER  VISITANTS 

Barrow's  Golden-eye  Hoary  Redpoll 

(Glaucionetta  ialandica)  (Acanthia  h.  exilipea) 

Harlequin  Duck  Holboell's  Redpoll 

(Hiatrionicua  histrionicus)  (Acanthia  I.  holboelli) 

Arctic  Three-toed  Woodpecker  Hudsonlan  Chickadee 

(Picoidca  arcticua)  (Penthcatea  h.  hudaonicua) 

Newfoundland  Crossbill 
(Loxia  c.  percna) 

MIGRANTS  THAT  SOMETIMES  WINTER 

Bonaparte's  Gull  Brown  Creeper 

(Lflrua  Philadelphia)  (Certhia  f.  amcricana) 

I'urple  Finch  Red-breasted  Nuthatch 

(Carpodacua  p.  purpureua)  (Sitta  canadensia) 

Fox  Sparrow  Golden-crowned  Kinglet 

(Paaaerclla  i.  iliaca)  (Regulua  a.  afitrapa) 

INTRODUCED  RESIDENTS 

English  Sparrow  Hungarian  Partridge 

(Paaaer  domeaticua)  (Perdix  perdix) 

Ring-necked  Pheasant 
(Phaaianua  colchicua) 


[23] 


12  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


Winter  birds  are  shown  in  the  exhibits  of  the  Field  Museum  in 
two  habitat  groups,  in  Hall  20.  One  of  these  represents  the  icy 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan  during  cold  weather,  and  shows  three 
species  of  ducks,  Old-squaws,  Red-breasted  Mergansers,  and  a  Surf 
Scoter,  and  also  adult  and  immature  Herring  Gulls.  The  other 
group  represents  a  brushy  woodland  near  Chicago,  and  shows  the 
Hairy  Woodpecker,  White-breasted  Nuthatch,  Screech  Owl,  Crow, 
Chickadee,  Prairie  Horned  Lark,  Snow  Bunting,  Blue  Jay,  North- 
ern Shrike,  and  an  English  Sparrow  and  Redpoll  which  have  been 
caught  by  the  Shrike. 


[24] 


